An international video campaign to preserve marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean has been launched, pushing for an expanded system of large scale Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Unveiling the campaign at a ministerial meeting of 19 countries, Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley encouraged the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to adopt the MPAs.
CCAMLR is an international commission responsible for determining the use of marine living resources in the Antarctic.
“A representative system of MPAs in the Southern Ocean should be established as a matter of urgency,” Ms Ley said.
“A representative system of MPAs in the Southern Ocean will be a critical tool in managing the effects of climate change on our oceans, along with the health of marine life and our environment,” she said.
“To achieve these outcomes we need consensus from all CCAMLR nations and we need the patience to persist.”
Ms Ley, together with the European Union, advocated for the adoption of an East Antarctic MPA.
Australia’s Commissioner to CCAMLR, Gillian Slocum said an East Antarctic MPA would protect distinctive deep-water reefs and feeding areas for marine mammals, penguins and other seabirds.
The international video campaign, with sound, can be accessed at this PS News link.
